Stephen B. Higgins

1946 - 2020

Higgins, Stephen B.

July 18, 1946 to May 11, 2020.

"What a fighter!" one old friend marveled. To borrow the defining word in the title of one of his favorite books, Steve Higgins died unbroken – not just battling for two-plus years against ravages of a remorseless disease, but also refusing to let it gain dominion over him and the unbridled delight that he took in living a full and very active life as a world traveler and a deeply engaged and engaging friend to many people. Cooking was one of many self-taught skills learned to the point of mastery (other such skills included photography, carpentry and gardening, along with an easy familiarity, at 73, with the mysteries of the digital age that eluded all but a few of his contemporaries). Just as it had in years of good health, his daily routine in the springtime of 2020 included whipping up gourmet dinners for Carol, his beautiful and loving wife of 44 years, and himself. He also worked out every day in his man-cave exercise room. On a Zoom call, old friends caught their last sight of Steve during a half-hour conversation. Shirtless and on oxygen, he was pounding away the whole time on a stationary bike, looking like a smiling and happy Ernest Hemingway.

When the family moved to St. Louis from New Haven, CT, he transferred to the newly created St. Louis Priory School taught by Benedictine monks from Ampleforth, England. Steve liked the quirkiness of being part of an English educational outpost in the middle of America. And he himself, as the boy who parachuted into the school in the middle of the term, had a certain coolness and reserve – an aura of mystery – that appealed to other boys at the school. He played sports (football, soccer, and track), became the editor of the class of '64 yearbook, starred in the senior play, and excelled academically. It was no surprise that he won early acceptance to Yale University, where he majored in American Studies. Then it was on to Vietnam.

Many years ago, someone wrote a best-selling book called Everything I Know I Learned in Kindergarten. If he had the time to write his own book, he might have called it, Everything I Know I Learned in Vietnam. He liked and admired most of the people he worked with and served under everywhere from basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, to serving in more than 100 operations out in the villages and hamlets of the Vietnamese highlands as a 23-year-old second lieutenant and part of the Phoenix Program. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. More than those awards, however, he was most proud of being offered an opportunity to become a career officer in the regular Army upon completing his extended tour of duty in Vietnam.

Upon returning to St. Louis in 1970, Steve joined the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and became a prize-winning investigative reporter. After earning a law degree at St. Louis University, he worked for several years as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in St. Louis specializing in white collar crime. In the early 1980s, he joined the Husch, Eppenberger, Donohue, & Cornfeld law firm, leaving in 1990, when he was named U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri by President George H. W. Bush. He served in that capacity until 1993. He resumed law practice as a partner at Thompson Coburn law firm. Without being especially flashy or craving the limelight, he was a brilliant trial lawyer and lead counsel who successfully tried many complex cases from 1993-2019.

A law partner who became a close friend noted how well his Vietnam War experience and work as an investigative reporter served him in his later legal career. This was real-world know-how that many book-trained lawyers simply did not have and it showed up in his ability to lead teams of people and get the best out of all players.

Steve was active in a wide variety of civic organizations. He served as president of the board of a number of organizations including the St. Louis Public Library, Laumeier Sculpture Park, and the Garden Club of St. Louis. He was also active in the Vietnam Veterans organization and served for 19 years as secretary of the St. Louis Roundtable.

RIP, Stephen B. Higgins. Yours was a life well and truly lived.

Eulogy from a longtime friend, Andrew Wilson

In addition to his wife and best friend, Carol, Steve is survived by beloved daughters Margot (Rob) Beasley of Wildwood and Beth (Pete) van Dyk of Overland Park, KS; dear brother Matt (Lin) Higgins of Hammond, OR; dear sisters Ann Higgins and Jane Higgins (Dan Binkley) of Fort Collins, CO; adored grandchildren Madeleine and Liam Beasley, Gia and Stella van Dyk; a large extended family and many treasured friends. Steve was predeceased by his parents John and Dorothy Higgins, and sisters Leda Higgins and Kate Higgins. The family would like to extend their gratitude to Saiama Waqar, MD and her team at Siteman Cancer Center for their phenomenal care the past two and a half years. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Steve's memory to the St. Louis Public Library, 1624 Locust Street, St. Louis, MO 63103, St. Louis Priory 500 S. Mason Road St. Louis, MO 63141 or a charity of your choice. A memorial service will be planned at a later date.

A SERVICE OF

THE LUPTON CHAPEL